Preview: Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory

Fox Sports and ABC TV viewers will have the opportunity to get a first-up glimpse of how Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory are shaping up this season, with both enjoying some strong recruiting.

Certainly both clubs will feel they have something to prove. After being the competition’s cellar dwellers for many years, United have been on a constant upward trend in recent years, only to miss the finals by a single place last term – their best-ever campaign.

And there has been a statement of intent from Adelaide if their off-season recruiting is any gauge. American U-23 internationals Danielle Colaprico and Katie Naughton have arrived, as has Monica who the Westfield Matildas would know well after meetings against Brazil down the years. Perhaps the dark-horse, however, is former Mexico international Sofia Huerta who possesses both a strong presence in the forward line and some prolific finishing.

Adelaide had lost 11 straight against Melbourne Victory, only to win their past two encounters, which in some ways is a metaphor for how far the latter’s stocks had fallen. The Victory finished at the bottom of the ladder last season – by far their worst result.

But one senses there is a determination to change. Assuming the reins is former Wales international Jeff Hopkins, a man familiar with success in the Westfield W-League from his time at Brisbane Roar. The side has a solid look about it, and the return of American midfield ace and newly-appointed captain Christine Nairn is a crucial component for the Victory. Three points in Adelaide would leave last season’s disastrous campaign a distant memory.